Danube River Bike Tour Reviews
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- ★★★★★ Donna
Fantastic experience!
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
Our self-guided bike tour from Passau to Budapest was fantastic! Bike Tours transported our luggage (LOVED that) and provided excellent ebikes and mostly excellent hotels. The bike paths were mostly easy to follow but even with the Pedalo App and map books provided with the bikes, I would have gotten hopelessly lost if we didn't have internet and maps to use too. Especially after Vienna when some paths got so rough I thought they couldn't possibly be part of the EV6/R1... BUT THEY WERE!!! But, most of the paths were great. I absolutely, thoroughly recommend a Danube bike tour. The best part (and I think this is true to most people judging by how many cyclists and guided bike tours were going on there) was Wachau around Durnstein.
We went in Autumn and I think that was brilliant because it wasn't so busy and watching the trees turn golden as we progressed was a beautiful surprise.
Some cycling days were 60km which I believe was too long because we had no time to explore the towns at the end of the day. We just wanted to use the pool and sauna when available. I was SO glad when the hotel had those facilities. Best thing ever at the end of a long day of riding. Especially when it was wet and cold, which, unfortunately we had for the first few days. I definitely recommend paying extra to get more accommodation with saunas. All the hotel staff were used to cyclists and some had excellent storage. Others, didn't, but the staff were always helpful. Pack as lightly as you can, because even though the luggage is transferred for us, some hotels were walk-ups! Not good. Even worse there was a train journey in a town that only had stairs between platforms! With bikes! Awful. IF you can avoid the train, that's probably best.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Donna,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your self-guided tour from Passau to Budapes, especially the e-bikes, luggage transfers, and those beautiful stretches along the Danube. Wachau around Dürnstein is a favorite for many of our travelers, so we're glad it stood out for you as well.
You’re absolutely right about autumn being a wonderful time to ride, and also about those longer cycling days. This is great feedback and something we’ll keep in mind for future route planning. We’re also happy to hear that the hotel saunas were a welcome reward after the colder, wetter days!
Thank you again for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. We hope to welcome you back on another cycling adventure soon!
Bozena
- ★★★★★ Theresa H
A treat for the eyes
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
I did the last tour of 2025, in October. I went with my sister (we are in our 50s) and my daughter (in her 30s) and we used ebikes. The autumn colours along the way were magnificent. We did get a lot of rain on the first day, and a small amount on the second but otherwise we got lucky with the weather. I wanted to do this type of tour in which you are not riding with other people because I prefer to take my time and not have to worry about holding other people up. There was another group of women we saw sometimes along the way, and got chatting to them sometimes, mostly at breakfast but once along the way. That was nice, and my daughter exchanged socials so she may have made friends.
The path from Passau to Vienna is fantastic, and I reckon I could do that again, maybe on my own and maybe even on a regular bike. After Vienna it's a bit rougher, particularly in Slovakia. We were worried about the bikes over one particularly bumpy patch, but we figured they wouldn't be sending the bikes there if they didn't think they were up to the task. And they were, so all was well.
The hotels we stayed at were very good, for the most part. We chose category A due to the higher number of spa hotels. They didn't all have a spa, and they didn't all have lifts either, so bear that in mind when packing. Yes, they transport your bags (chef's kiss on that) but you have to get them to your room. Some of the rooms in Austria were more suited to couples than to mother and daughter due to having bathrooms with glass doors, but we just had to make sure we were in a spot out of eyeline when the other was using the facilities.
I absolutely loved this trip and sometimes get a bit sad that it's over. - ★★★★★ Rochelle and Pierre van Niekerk
Danube 2025
Danube Cycle Path Passau – Budapest
Great adventure and well organized trip.
Hotel were perfect and we had no issues with finding the accommodation. One small issue was the that the published route length is stated as approximate, as it depends on the availability of Hotels for your trip. On one occasion we had to travel two towns further and after a long, bad weather day, this was very uncomfortable. Quickly learned to google the distances from Hotel to Hotel.
Wish we would have ordered e bikes from the beginning, as daily route distances are long for the first week (Section Passau to Wien) with the better pace you travel on a e bike it leaves more time to explore the town you visit overnight and on bad weather days (we unfortunately had plenty) the time spent on the bike in bad weather is less.
Could not fault the tour operators and we thank you for a wonderful experience. Will gladly recommend them.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our 6th tour
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Janet
Brilliant experience
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had an amazing trip...the logistics worked like clockwork and the bikes were great. Accommodation was all very suitable
- ★★★★★ Tom Courtney
Father and son special time together
Vienna to Budapest (Classic)
My 34 year old son and I (65) did this 6 day bike trip together. Created many special memories for us. Everything was so well organized. Hotels were very good. Many hotels had nice saunas or steam rooms or Thermal baths near by. It was nice to get to know some of the other bike riders even though this was not a group tour.
BikeTours.com staff reply from Staff member
Hi Tom,
Thank you so much for sharing! We’re really glad to hear you and your son had such a great time and made special memories together. Wonderful that you enjoyed the hotels and met other riders along the way too! Hope to welcome you again on another adventure!
Bozena
- ★★★★★ Regina Zilinski
An excellent choice as first Bike & Barge
Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
Did not know what to expect but was delighted by the bike routes, the added tour options, the accommodations, the food and the great customer service.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Kim S.
Sporty trip down the Danube!
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
Such a great way to experience this historic river and scenic countryside! An extra day before beginning my journey allowed time to relax and explore Passau. Hannas arrived at the hotel on time and provided information regarding the bike and route, very helpful. The route map provided was my main source for navigation and points of interest. I had some difficulty using the nav app but the R1 route is extremely well marked. A few extra days afterwards in Vienna topped off the trip. I’ll plan to return next year for another section along the Donau (Danube). The tour company made it very easy with prearranged hotels, luggage transport and route planning, will definitely use them again.
- ★★★★★ Andrea R
Great itinerary
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
From the welcome on Night 1 to the hotels along the way, the trip was well-planned; the guide who did our first night introduction was very thorough and helpful. Luggage pickup/dropoff was timely, which was a relief since we had to bike in the rain 2 days. Beautiful and interesting scenery along the way. Definitely recommend.
- ★★★★★ Kim S.
Sporty trip down the Danube!
Danube Bike Path 5-nights (Active)
Such a great way to experience this historic river and scenic countryside! An extra day before beginning my journey allowed time to relax and explore Passau. Hannas arrived at the hotel on time and provided information regarding the bike and route, very helpful. The route map provided was my main source for navigation and points of interest. I had some difficulty using the nav app but the R1 route is extremely well marked. A few extra days afterwards in Vienna topped off the trip. I’ll plan to return next year for another section along the Donau (Danube). The tour company made it very easy with prearranged hotels, luggage transport and route planning, will definitely use them again.
- ★★★★★ Klaud
Danubio
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Tudo muito bom. Hotéis bons. A reunião de apresentação foi mal planejada. As 20h a portaria do hotel já estava fechada e o representante da bicicleta ficou do lado de fora.
- ★★★★★ Mindy Gumminger
Great experience
Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
Boat accommodations, staff and meals were excellent. Excursions were excellent. Tour director was excellent. Internet and cell services were spotty. Navigation app did not work consistently. Some days there was not enough time to stop and see things along the bike route.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- Several
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Allison
Lovely trip
Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
There was an unforeseen closure of the Danube due to bridge construction. This caused us to spend extra time on the boat. We had 2 full days on the boat with almost nothing to do. I think there could have been a bit of planning to provide activities in the event that plans change. They did give a class on how to change a bike tire which was good but that only took an hour. Dance or knitting classes, group games, contests, something to occupy a very active biking group would have been great.
The packing instruction seem to have been written for a shorter trip. There was plenty of room under the beds for luggage. There is no place in the rooms to set up a clothes line to dry clothing. - ★★★★★ Shelley
Bustling cities and quiet small towns
Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
This trip is a perfect balance to visit thriving, iconic cities and then take in small towns on a peaceful ride along the Danube. Overall, the experience was excellent. The boat crew/staff were friendly, enthusiastic and efficient. The 3-course dinners were top notch and my cabin, which wasn't a bad size, was always spotless (lots of hot water - a bonus). All the bikes were ready to go when we needed them and loaded back on at the end of the day. The bike routes were well laid out and very easy without an ebike - very flat. We got stuck in a river lock on this trip and had to spend a full day on the boat - not the operator's fault, but there wasn't much to do on the boat except relax. The Prinzessin Katharina is more basic that some of the other boats we saw, but the value is certain there. I would recommend this trip.
- ★★★★★ Keith M.
A Beautiful Ride Through Austria
Salzburg to Vienna, Lakes Option
This was a very well organized and well thought out way to experience the beautiful countryside between Salzburg and Vienna. When we entered the hotel in Salzburg to pick up our rented bicycles for our first day of riding we were greeted by a representative from the bicycle rental company. With our bicycles he provided us with a tire patch kit, basic tool kit, and hand pump but no tire levers. At my request he provided me with a spare inner tube which came in handy on the last day of our tour. The bicycles provided were well maintained and well suited for this tour. My wife used an e-bike whereas I used a 24 speed hybrid bicycle with a triple crankset giving me a wide range of gearing just in case it got hilly. The bicycles also came with a set of panniers and a small handlebar bag on one to carry the tour guidebooks. The guidebooks were customized for our specific tour providing good information on the sights to see along the way as well as maps to the specific hotels we were to stay at. Accommodations were good, mostly family owned and run with the exception of the hotels in Salzburg, Linz, and Vienna which were part of different hotel chains, e.g. Marriott. The hotels we stayed at provided good European breakfasts and excellent Austrian coffee. Our luggage was always available at the hotel when we arrived. I am 70 years old and have toured by bicycle extensively throughout the United Staes since my teenage years but I found this tour far more enjoyable since the route we took was mostly on paved or crushed stone bicycle paths without auto traffic to deal with (in the United States I have bicycled through many beautiful national and state parks but have always had to deal with automobile traffic making it more difficult to enjoy the natural splendor). However, there were times where we did need to ride with auto traffic in and near the cities. We also rode on some backroads and roads through neighborhoods that have very little auto traffic. Good bicycle path signage is present along Austria’s cycle paths, however, the provided bicycle tour guide books did not take advantage of this. I believe the guide books should have referred to this bike path signage (e.g., R2 or R4 or R6 or R15) and mention which to follow from one city or town to the next. Another challenge was that the bicycle rental company did not provide handle bar mounts for our smart phones meaning anytime we needed to check a GPS track we had to stop and pull out our phones from our pockets or bags. This became especially frustrating on rainy days. Please note I did attempt to purchase smart phone handlebar mounts at a couple of bike shops along the way but neither of them carried what I was looking for; next time I will be sure to be prepared and bring my own. Although we found the GPS tracks very useful, on some occasions there were times that the GPS tracks did not perfectly match with the bicycle path signage which led to a little confusion but this was easily resolved after checking Google Maps. However, we found the eight km stretch GPS track from Grein to the Schatz.Kammer Burg Kreuzen hotel to be grossly inadequate. Although the paved parts of this path were manageable, we ended up on some very steep and poorly maintained dirt and gravel roads that would have been manageable with a decent mountain bike with wide tires but not the bicycles we were using. A shuttle from Grein to the hotel was offered and that may have been the better option for this part of the ride. Another point about Schatz.Kammer Burg Kreuzen hotel is the available buffet dinner. The cost is about 25 euros per person and is cash only. It would have been nice to know that they did not accept credit cards for the buffet dinner and it what it cost. Fortunately I had enough cash in my wallet to cover this expense. On the last day of riding we past a Canadian couple we had chatted with at dinner a couple of nights before. They had a flat tire and did not know how to repair it nor did they have the necessary tools and spare inner tube to do so. They had called the bicycle tour company to ask for assistance but since it was a Sunday they were told they would have to find their own way to the next town for assistance. Fortunately I did have a spare inner tube and had brought my own set of bicycle tools (including tire levers) from home; the basic tools provided by the bicycle tour company would have been inadequate to facilitate this simple repair. I was able to replace the inner tube and get them back on their way toward Vienna. I mention this not so much as a negative but to remind those interested in such a tour to come prepared to manage such inconveniences. Overall, the experience was most enjoyable and the scenery amazing. I strongly recommend this tour for anyone that enjoys bicycle touring through very scenic mountain valleys and historic towns and along scenic lakes and rivers. I am thankful that biketours.com has vetted this tour and made it easy and affordable to experience. The personnel at biketours.com were very helpful with the booking of this tour and patiently answered all of my questions. I will definitely book future European bicycle tours through biketours.com. SHOW MORE
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- Dozens
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria
BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
Keith,
Thank you so much for both of your thoughtful reviews and for your kind words about our service! We truly appreciate the time you took to share your detailed experience and your continued trust in BikeTours.com. It’s a pleasure to know you enjoyed the tour, and we look forward to helping you plan more amazing rides in the future!
Bozena
- ★★★★★ Doug N.
Beautiful bike rides and local towns
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
The hotels were all very nice. The app for the bike routes was very easy to use and accurate. The luggage transfers were flawless and the bikes were very nice.
- ★★★★★ Bob Anderson
Historical-Adevnture- Amazing guides
Danube River and Black Sea
This bike tour was a history lesson on wheels. We started by visiting the WW1 Museum for an amazing experience. Deyan, the owner of the tour company and our guide and daily history lesson instructor was outstanding! His knowledge and enthusiasm of the local history came shining through in his daily lessons. The ride takes you past a large variety of terrain from rolling fields of corn, sunflower and wheat to large orchards of apricots, cherries and peaches. The riding surface included asphalt, dirt and gravel roads. At one point we cycled on an ancient Roman road along the Danube River. We experienced amazing views while riding along the coast off the Black Sea. We had two spur of the moment stops to visit with some locals making traditional Bulgarian Lutenitsa. The locals were eager to share the tradition of making this delicious Bulgarian treat.
Romania and Bulgaria are two countries that are climbing in tourism. Plan your visit before they become new tourists hot spots. You won’t regret it.
As always bike tours are a great way to experience local culture and make new friends at a relaxed pace.
PS- Deyan is an awesome photographer.
- ★★★★★ Bob Anderson
Historical-Adevnture- Amazing guides
Danube River and Black Sea
This bike tour was a history lesson on wheels. We started by visiting the WW1 Museum for an amazing experience. Deyan, the owner of the tour company and our guide and daily history lesson instructor was outstanding! His knowledge and enthusiasm of the local history came shining through in his daily lessons. The ride takes you past a large variety of terrain from rolling fields of corn, sunflower and wheat to large orchards of apricots, cherries and peaches. The riding surface included asphalt, dirt and gravel roads. At one point we cycled on an ancient Roman road along the Danube River. We experienced amazing views while riding along the coast off the Black Sea. We had two spur of the moment stops to visit with some locals making traditional Bulgarian Lutenitsa. The locals were eager to share the tradition of making this delicious Bulgarian treat.
Romania and Bulgaria are two countries that are climbing in tourism. Plan your visit before they become new tourists hot spots. You won’t regret it.
As always bike tours are a great way to experience local culture and make new friends at a relaxed pace.
PS- Deyan is an awesome photographer.
